A Monster Life Ch. 28-30

* The fantasy writing mood has struck hard and produced more goodies. I've already begun on volume 3 with a good dose of action and it probably won't lessen. Oh yeah, there's also naughty action, of course. :-p

*

28 - Many Returns

The squirrel and the rat chittered urgently to the other skeleton creatures and spirits, and they hurried out of the hall afterwards. 'I suggest we head for that library where you fought Demetrus.' said Elzbieta. 'Use that as a starting point if our little friends haven't found her by then.'

Ulric nodded and looked at the squirrel. 'Can you guide us there?'

It chittered in affirmation and hopped towards one entrance.

'I really hope she's still alive.' said Iphigenia as she picked up her pack. 'Or dead or whatever state she's supposed to be in.'

Ulric looked at Kaui. 'You're sure she's still around?'

Kaui nodded. 'As long as her name is listed in the familiar bonds, she's not gone, Master.'

He clenched his fists.'I wish I had one of those detection skills like in the games, then I could locate her on a virtual map.'

'There are people who have an ability like that.' said Kaui as the party left the hall in a hurry, following the squirrel and rat. 'They can perceive the direction of party members, demons, animals.'

Ulric thought he recognised the area as being close to the large library when a couple of creatures and spirits awaited them and guided them to a higher floor, and stopped at a smaller set of double doors in a long hallway lit by stained glass windows on one side. Ulric tried the door handles. 'Locked.' he said and looked over the wooden doors. 'Looks like normal doors to me. I'll give them a kick.'

'Wait!' said Kaui. 'It's possible there's a trap which will trigger when you break them down.'

'True.' said Elzbieta. 'It's not uncommon for magic users to set traps for defence.'

'How will we know?' Ulric asked.

'I can't sense anything.' said Iphigenia while she held her hands against the doors. 'But that's no guarantee since Demetrus could set up traps I can't detect.'

The squirrel chittered and sat down in front of the doors.

'You can get inside?' Ulric asked.

They watched in surprise when the spirit body of the squirrel detached itself from the skeleton and slipped through the crack between the doors. The skeleton looked up a moment later and chittered again.

'No trap.' Ulric said, that's good. 'Stand aside, everyone. Just in case.'

The squirrel and the girls stepped away, and Ulric kicked the middle of both doors. A loud crack of wood was followed by the slamming of both doors against the walls inside. 'Open Sesame.' he said.

In the light from the corridor they saw the room was a large bedroom with more bookcases against the wall, a couple of cluttered writing desks, and a wide, heavy wooden canopy bed. The squirrel's spirit body sat on the edge and the skeleton chittered next to Ulric. 'She's on the bed!' he said and hurried inside. They found Valdys laying naked and silently on her back on top of the dark red covers. Ulric held his breath as he laid his paw gently on her chest, and exhaled in relief. 'Her heart is beating, she's as alive as she was last time.' He shook her carefully but she showed no sign of waking up.'

Kaui leaned closer and touched her cheek and forehead. 'I can't tell for sure but it seems she's all right.'

'Any ideas on how to wake her up?' asked Ulric. 'Some spell or something?'

Kaui pat Valdys's cheek. 'I read of some that might do that but none of us have the means to perform them.'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'It's like one of those days I just don't want to wake up because I want to sleep more in Wolfie's embrace. Unless it's to have some little fun.'

Ulric looked up at her. 'That's it!'

She looked puzzled at him. 'You want to wake her up by doing it with her?'

'Darling..?' said Elzbieta and gripped the handle of her sword while her gaze pierced him. 'That wouldn't be your intention, now would it?'

He held up his paw. 'Of course not! But it reminded me of a famous fairy tale in my world where a sleeping cursed prince wakes up from a dragon's kiss. I thought I could afford to at least try that.'

Elzbieta nodded. 'I can allow that.' she said and relaxed her grip. 'But keep it decently.'

He chuckled. 'You don't trust me by now?'

Iphigenia smirked a little. 'I think she's just a little jealous.'

'What!?' Elzbieta said flustered. 'I'm just making sure darling won't lose out to temptation! Valdys is naked here after all!'

Iphigenia chuckled. 'Oh, you're right!' she said and pulled the folded sheet at the end of the bed over her.

'I was so worried about her that I didn't even realised it myself.' said Ulric and chuckled. 'Anyway, let's see if a little fairy tale magic will work.' He leaned over Valdys and kissed her softly on her cold dark lips, then sat up again.

Everyone gazed at her for a few moments. 'I guess something stronger is needed.' said Iphigenia.

'The only alternative I know is coffee, but I haven't seen that here.' Ulric said and stroked Valdys's cheek.

She stirred and groaned softly.

'You did it, Wolfie!' said Iphigenia.

Valdys blinked her eyes and stared half awake up at everyone standing around her. 'I just dreamt you were my enemies.' she whispered. 'Are you?'

'Not unless you want to steal away our Wolfie.' chuckled Iphigenia.

She rolled her head to look at the bloodwolf sitting on the bed. 'I know you.' she whispered and smiled softly as she cupped his cheek. 'You saved me.'

Ulric stroked her forehead. 'You saved us all in the end.'

She looked up at the canopy. 'I remember destroying the book.'

'You disappeared at that moment.'

She closed her eyes. 'I saw part of his life. Events from his past. Some of his experiences and knowledge must have transferred to me when I destroyed the book.' She opened her eyes. 'He is gone, isn't he?'

Ulric nodded. 'I think so. He cried out while vanishing in little pieces.'

She took a deep breath and sighed long. 'That nightmare is over.'

'How are you feeling?'

'Tired, but I think my strength is slowly returning.'

'I could make you something to energise you but can you drink it?.' said Kaui.

Valdys focussed for a moment on her body, and smiled. 'I think I actually can once again. Something else that returned to life.' she said and looked at Ulric.

'I'm full of surprises.' he said and chuckled.

While Valdys recovered with Kaui's care, she directed the others to the writing desks and the notes from Demetrus that she knew were there. They laid them all out for her on the bed after she sat up straight. 'The demon lord was never here.' she said. 'Demetrus had been collecting all knowledge he got his hands on about him though.' She pointed at a drawing of a flat ring with symbols engraved in it. 'He found out the demon lord lives in another plane and it can be reached with the help of that displacement ring. The only trouble is that it's made up of several pieces and those are spread out over the world and in the hands of other demon rulers.'

'So, to get to the demon lord, we'd have to collect all those pieces from those other demons?' said Iphigenia.

'Yes. But there's a catch.' said Valdys and pointed to another page. 'The pieces and the symbols on them need to be connected in the correct sequence, otherwise the target of displacement is unknown.'

'Oh great, that's worse than dialling a wrong number.' said Ulric. 'Did he knew the sequence or where to find it?'

Valdys shook her head. 'He suspected only a select few of the highest ranked demons know.'

Ulric leaned back against the headboard of the bed. 'No one said this quest would be easy.'

'It's even worse.' said Valdys and gestured at another page. 'The demon lord is planning to take over the whole world and his underlings are already busy with preparations.'

Ulric groaned. 'In other words, we'll need to take out the lord as quick as possible to avoid confronting every army he has.'

Valdys nodded once.

Elzbieta took a deep breath. 'We need to warn everyone.'

'Yes.' said Iphigenia. 'Even then, the battles will be brutal. How are we going to warn everyone?'

'I can send a tat to the wizards once we're outside.' said Elzbieta. 'They'll have to send out word to other countries.'

Iphigenia nodded. 'In the meantime, we gather all the pieces of the ring and the sequence and try to take out the lord.' She looked at Valdys. 'Any clues on where those pieces are exactly?'

Valdys shook her head. 'No, but there's a way to locate them.' she said and pointed at one of the desks. 'Can you take a look in those drawers, my love?'

'Sure.' said Ulric and went over to the desk.

'Love?' asked Iphigenia softly and giggled.

Valdys blushed. 'I said it without thinking.'

Iphigenia smiled. 'It's inevitable once you're caught in the familiar bond, right, girls?'

Elzbieta cleared her throat and blushed while Kaui nodded shyly once as she blushed.

'Found it!' said Ulric after rummaging through a couple of the drawers full of small notes, writing and drawing utilities, small magical paraphernalia, and what looked like a petrified half eaten apple. He returned to the bed and placed the section of a metallic stone ring with a faded golden outer and inner band, and an intricate rune etched deep into it on both sides. 'I see no holes or pins to connect it with another piece. Could this be something else?'

Valdys picked it up and sensed the latent power it held. 'No, this is one piece of the ring.' she said and spread her fingers as she held it up in her open hand. A moment later, it twitched for a bit, then rotated a quarter turn and she pointed in the direction of the inside. 'The next piece is in that direction but I don't know how far.'

'Only one way to find out.' said Ulric. 'We'll go as soon as we're rested.' He looked at Valdys. 'Even though we have a familiar bond, you have no obligation to come with us.'

She smiled softly at him. 'My love, you saved my life. I will follow you to the ends of the world and beyond.'

He blushed and smiled. 'It'll be dangerous.

She nodded. 'I have no desire to stay here any longer than I have to.' she said and looked at the squirrel and rat sitting at the end of the bed. 'I will leave the mausoleum in your paws.'

The squirrel chittered in protest.'

'Are you sure?'

The squirrel chittered once.

Ulric chuckled. 'That's settled then, you two are members of Quaint now.'

The rat chittered and Valdys nodded. 'I'm sure you'll take good care of this place.'

The rat chittered once and hopped from the bed, looked back once at Kaui, and left the room.

'Good luck to you too!' said Kaui.

Ulric looked at the squirrel. 'You're going to need a name when you're coming with us.'

The squirrel tilted its head.

'What name would fit you?'

Iphigenia looked closer at the squirrel. 'Are you a boy or a girl?'

The squirrel puffed up its chest and draped its fluffy spirit tail around its feet with a resolute chitter.

Iphigenia chuckled. 'A lady, of course.'

'Then how about Trixy?' Ulric asked. 'Because the separation you can do with your bones and spirit body is a very neat trick.'

The squirrel pawed her tail for a moment, then gave another resolute chitter.

Ulric smiled and held out his paw. 'Nice to meet you, Trixy. Glad to have you as part of our party.'

She hopped towards him, and put her paws on his fingers and affirmed with another chitter.

***

When Valdys was completely recovered and the others rested, Iphigenia found a large wardrobe with a wide variety of clothing. Because Valdys needed a new outfit, she pulled her along and with the help of Elzbieta and Kaui chose something suitable for her to wear. When they returned, Ulric gazed with some excitement at her new look. She wore a black skirt resting on her hips and coming down to the floor with a split at the side that revealed some of her pale skinned leg, and a short black strapless top with short sleeves, stringed together at the front with red string, and three blood red stripes at the back sown on by Kaui. It also had a wide hood to cover her head and which was now used by Trixy to nestle in.

She blushed as she smiled a little at Ulric's admiring gaze. 'That looks so very good on you, I don't know what to say.' he said.

She stepped towards him and kissed him. 'Those words are enough, my love.'

He looked at the others. 'Four incredible beauties.' he said and a chitter came from Valdys's shoulder. He chuckled and stroked Trixy's chin with one finger. 'In your case we're talking very cute.'

She accepted it with a cheerful chitter.

Kaui moved forward. 'There's just one thing missing, Master.'

He looked at her, then at Valdys. 'Missing?' Valdys raised her chin and he got the hint. He smiled softly, took the collar from Kaui who held it up, and fastened it around Valdys's neck. 'With this, I'll swear to protect you to my full abilities, just as I do the others.'

She smiled and kissed him again. 'And I'm all yours to possess and command.'

Trixy led them towards the mausoleum after they gathered the ring piece and a map of the world that looked nearly compete. On the way they stopped by the ruined library and saw skeleton creatures everywhere restoring the fallen cases to their upright position and returning the books and objects they held. Valdys squatted down when the rat leader hopped closer. 'Great work.' she said and the rat chittered cheerfully.

'All those books.' said Kaui. 'No wonder he had to live forever to be able to read all of them.'

Valdys stood up. 'Actually, there's a faster way.' she said, closed her eyes, and spread her arms forward, chanting a silent incantation. A shimmering appeared to cover all the books, and a spiritual image of each of them pulled free of them. They drifted for a moment, then floated as shards of mist towards her and in a small whirlwind surrounded her and faded into her. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. 'I now possess the contents of all the books. I can call on anything written in it.'

Ulric blinked his eyes when something itched at the back of his head. 'Is it like seeing books all around you with coloured lines between them?'

She spun around towards him. 'You can see them!?'

Kaui shut her eyes and concentrated on the image that faded into her mind. 'I can see them too.'

Iphigenia and Elzbieta realised they could as well.

'I never heard of anything like this.' said Valdys. 'Can you focus on one book and open it in your mind?' The others nodded after a few moments and she laughed. 'I can only imagine it's because of your familiar link, my love.'

Ulric chuckled. 'I begin to wonder if my status and ability quirks aren't a major advantage.'

Iphigenia wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Who knows what interesting abilities you'll show in the future?' she said and kissed him. 'You should gather an army of women to find out.'

He chuckled and blushed. 'I doubt I have any luck left and will gain any more after your four girls.'

She grinned. 'I think your luck is one of those quirky abilities.' she said. and pulled back. 'Let's find out on our quest.'

***

When the party stepped outside the entrance to the mausoleum they inhaled the fresh air deep into their lungs. 'Is it me, or does the air smell better than before?' asked Iphigenia.

Valdys looked around. 'No, there's a change.' she said. 'The fog feels slightly less dead.'

'Look!' said Elzbieta and pointed at the ground.

They took a closer look at a tiny green shoot. 'Life is returning here.' said Kaui.

Ulric chuckled. 'Soon they'll start wondering what happened here when they see the dead forest return to its green majesty. Maybe people will return as well.'

Valdys smiled. 'I hope so. There used to be a happy time here and the country deserves to experience that again.'

Ulric took her hand and smiled at her. 'I'm sure it will, thanks to you defeating the death that held this country in its clutches.'

She smiled. 'I could never have done it without all of you.'

Elzbieta gestured in the air for a while, then looked up at the tiny blue bird vanishing in the grey sky. 'I sent a message to the wizards, informing them of what happened and the plans of the demon lord.'

'I hope they'll get word out soon.' said Iphigenia. 'It'll be horrible if the demon armies aren't halted as soon as possible.'

'We'll just have to trust they'll do what they can.' said Ulric. 'We must do what we can.'

Valdys confirmed the direction of the next ring piece and they headed out after Valdys said goodbye to all her spirit and creature friends that had gathered at the entrance.

***

A shadow in Demetrus's bedroom stirred, and out of it stepped a black cloaked figure. It pulled back its hood and the canine scanned the room. 'So you finally met your demise, eh?' he said to himself. 'Enlighted will be pleased.' He stepped towards the bed, looked over the notes, and hummed while collecting them before stepping back into the shadows.

29 - Family is Family

'Ahhh, it's good to be surrounded by green again.' said Ulric when he woke up a couple of days later in a sheltered spot under a large tree where they had slept under their large covers.

Iphigenia ran her fingers through his chest fur. 'Yeah, even better when there's also a certain wolf's fur surrounding me as well.' she whispered.

'If only I could wrap myself around you girls all the time.' he sighed.

'We just might not get anywhere then with the effect that has on us.' giggled Valdys and rubbed her cheek against his soft abdomen.

'Well, promises have to be kept.' said Iphigenia. 'Especially when we were rather drained from fighting.'

'I don't mind fulfilling promises like those at all.' chuckled Ulric.

'We can see that.' said Elzbieta and stroked the length of his hard and hot flesh with her fingertips.

'Master?' whispered Kaui in his neck.

He stroked her back. 'What is it, my dear?'

'I think one of my tallies hasn't reached maximum yet.'

He smiled and stroked her plump behind. 'It would be better to maximise all your numbers, yes.' he whispered in her ear and slipped his fingers into the warm and wet folds between her thighs while Elzbieta and Valdys wrapped their lips around his hot shaft and Iphigenia hummed in pleasant anticipation as his other paw moved down towards her behind.

***

Fully energised, they made good progress through the low hills and halted once more when they began to feel hungry again. Ulric surveyed the meadows and sections of trees around them. 'I smell deer on the wind.' he said. 'I'll go fetch one.'

'All right, we'll be ready to roast it when you return.' said Iphigenia and kissed him before he ran off towards a clump of trees.

The temporary camp had been set up swiftly when Elzbieta suddenly looked up at a nearby edge of the trees and the thick bushes between them. 'Something's coming!' she said over the link.

The others put down what they had in their hands and gathered around her. 'What is it?' asked Iphigenia.

'Not sure.' said Elzbieta. 'I think it's a couple of animals.'

'Do you need my help?' asked Ulric as he gutted the deer he had caught. 'I'm almost done here but I can leave right away.'

'I don't think you need to if it's just some animals.'

'All right.' he said but hurried with his task.

'I can hear them.' said Kaui, 'They're on the other side of the bushes.'

'Erratic breathing.' said Elzbieta. 'Kaui, Valdys, you stay behind us.'

She and Iphigenia drew their swords silently while the other two moved behind them and Valdys prepared an enchantment in case she could help.

Without a warning, two wounded bloodwolves sprang from the bushes and rushed at the girls. Elzbieta didn't hesitate for a moment and hew the head off of one of them while Iphigenia evaded the other and fatally stabbed it twice.